[Change the Election]⑩ Democratic Party Gwangju Chapter Relinquishes Established Interests... "Respond, Yeouido"

Interview with Byeon Won-seop, Chair of the Political Reform Special Committee, Gwangju Democratic Party
Proposes Regional Large Constituency System for Political Ecosystem Change Despite Concerns over Decrease in Gwangju Democratic Party Seats

"It is a practice of giving up vested interests."

Byun Won-seop, chairman of the Political Reform Special Committee of the Democratic Party's Gwangju City Party (61), recently explained the significance of the Gwangju City Party's electoral district reform plan, which centers on the introduction of a large electoral district system with regional proportional representation, in a phone interview with this paper.

The Democratic Party's Gwangju City Party Political Reform Special Committee presented three main principles during the recent electoral system reform discussions: ensuring the equivalence of votes, breaking the one-party dominance system by a specific party in the region, and expanding voters' participation rights through nomination reform. The resulting plan introduces a large electoral district system where 5 to 8 members per region are elected based on party vote counts, with proportional seats serving as a kind of adjustment seat to address regional disparities. The city party also proposed a second plan that guarantees a 2:1 ratio between district and proportional seats and a fully linked regional proportional representation system that ensures seats according to regional vote counts, in case maintaining the current single-member district system is unavoidable.

What draws attention to this reform plan is that both proposals inevitably lead to a decrease in the number of Democratic Party seats compared to the current situation. In the last general election, the Democratic Party won all 8 districts in Gwangju. However, if a large electoral district system is introduced, the number of seats must be reduced by at least 1 to 2. This means relinquishing the foundation of the Democratic Party's one-party dominance system in the Honam region.

Won Seop Byeon, Chair of the Political Reform Special Committee, Gwangju Democratic Party

There are voices of opposition in the local political circles regarding the Democratic Party's adoption of the large electoral district system. In response, Chairman Byun said, "Whether the Democratic Party was in power or the president came from another party, it was a habit to sweep the mayor, county heads, and district chiefs and comfortably settle in the Democratic Party's stronghold. If competition arises (due to the introduction of the large electoral district system), dissatisfaction may emerge." However, he added, "This culture would have been the same in Yeongnam, but the people of Yeongnam and Honam are eager to break away from the tired political culture and desire a new political ecosystem," expressing his commitment to reform.

Chairman Byun expects the political ecosystem to fundamentally change if the regional large electoral district system is implemented. He said, "The regional large electoral district system enables party-centered policy elections and opens the door for farmers, small business owners, youth, and women to enter the assembly according to regional characteristics while maintaining the total number of National Assembly members. In the existing two-party system, good bills are often blocked by party interests despite mutual checks and balances, but with the introduction of the large electoral district system and a multi-party system, political culture will change as parties cooperate on policies."

There are also expectations that local politics will change. Chairman Byun said, "Currently, even with local autonomy, people end up lining up with National Assembly members due to nominations, and National Assembly members are obsessed with securing regional budgets. If the large electoral district system is introduced, National Assembly members will discuss national affairs, and local autonomy will be entrusted to local government heads and local council members, allowing roles to be divided," he predicted. Simply changing the current National Assembly member election method will enable local government heads and council members to compete for good evaluations from local residents instead of lining up with National Assembly members.

He especially expressed hope that if Gwangju takes the lead, it could drive change within the Democratic Party. Chairman Byun said, "I am confident that by practicing a new political culture first in Honam, centered on Gwangju, the Democratic Party will gain support not only in the metropolitan area but nationwide." He added, "For Democratic Party members to achieve true democratic values, they must boldly lead the election law reform this time. There is no need to hesitate or waver; advocating for new political innovation is the Democratic Party's value and continues the political beliefs of Roh Moo-hyun and Kim Dae-jung."

The electoral system improvement plan, approved by the Democratic Party's Gwangju City Party Executive Committee on the 4th, was recently officially reported to the Democratic Party's Supreme Council.